Cotton Morningglory

Ipomoea cordatotriloba

Weed Description
Weak perennial, low climbing or trailing vine with lavender flowers. Found in the lower southeastern Gulf states to Texas.

Seedlings
Cotyledons deeply indented, without hairs.

Leaves
With a continuous, untoothed margin, either heart-shaped (cordate) or deeply 3- to 5-lobed, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long, 3/4 to 2 inches wide, with a long, tapering point and concave sides. Sepals and leaves without hairs.

Stems
Twining to low-climbing vine, branched, without hairs.

Flowers
Rosy lavender with a dark center, approximately 1 1/4 to 2 1/4 inches long.

Fruit
Small, brown, globoid, hairy capsule, 6-9 mm broad.

Roots
At first a conventional taproot, overwinters from a long-lived, branched rootstock.

Identifying Characteristics
This weed is often confused with sharppod morningglory (Ipomoea trichocarpa). However, sharppod morningglory has sepals, leaves and stems that may be pubescent, while these areas are not pubescent in cotton morningglory.

Office of Programs

University of Missouri

Cotton Morningglory

Ipomoea cordatotriloba